Chapter 1

Dean and Sam had just gotten back on the road from a long night of hunting. They needed some rest, but they wanted to get a few towns away first so nothing that night could be traced back to them; just in case. Dean was about to turn the radio on to keep himself awake when his phone rang.

"What now...if this this is another case I'm hanging up," he muttered as he dug his phone out of his pocket and answered. "Hello?" he grumbled.

"Yes, this is Tiffany Davis from Levaine Law Offices, is this Mr. Dean Winchester?" a voice rang back.

"Uhm yes...how'd you get this number exactly?" he asked.

"Are or were you familiar with a Miss Jennifer Michaels?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Jen Michaels...had that been Kentucky? No, Virginia...3- 4 years prior. The hunter hadn't thought much about her since. "Uh, I am yeah...is something wrong? She get in some sort of trouble?"

"Mr. Winchester, I'll need you to come to Norfolk if you can. This is an urgent matter that I am unable to disclose over the line. What's the soonest you can be here sir?"

"About two days...and there's nothing you can tell me?" he mumbled. "I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid not," she replied.

Sam looked at him in confusion as Dean sighed. "Alright, I guess I'll be seeing you in two days then."

"We'll be waiting," she said before hanging up. "What's that about?" Sam asked.

"You remember Jen? About three years ago, back in Virginia, Navy girl?" he questioned, frowning as he made an illegal U-turn.

"Uh yeah...helped us with that ghost hunt," he muttered, thinking back to the case.

"Yeah, apparently something is wrong. That was her lawyer's office, wanting me to come there for something that they couldn't tell me about," he replied.

"You think she's in some sort of trouble that only we could handle?" he asked. "I don't know, but I told her we'd get there in two days, so start sleeping cause I'm only good for a few more hours," Dean sighed.

Sam nodded, leaning down in his seat. That certainly wasn't too much to ask. He was dead tired, and soon, he was out like a light.

They traded off on driving the whole way to Norfolk and true to Dean's word, they were pulling up in front of the law office two days later. "Uh yeah, my name's Dean Winchester...I got a call from a Tiffany Davis a couple days ago...she should be expecting me," he said to the front desk clerk.

"Yes sir," she smiled warmly as she got up. "Please follow me. Would you like some water?"

"No thanks...coffee if you got any though," he nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Of course sir, give me just a moment," she smiled. "Mrs. Davis will be in shortly."

She had led him into what he assumed was Mrs.'s Davis' office; the hunter sat their anxiously. What had happened with Jen and why had a law firm contacted him on her behalf?

"Mr. Winchester?" an older woman questioned as she stepped in, bringing his coffee with her. "Tina said you asked for this. My name is Tiffany Davis, and I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but I'm afraid there was an accident that Miss Michaels was involved in."

"Jen was in an accident? Is she okay?" he asked, setting the coffee aside. "No... no I'm afraid the car accident she was in, killed her on impact," she sighed. "Shit...Jen's dead..." he mumbled. Sure they'd only known each other during the few days of their case and they'd had a one night celebratory stand, but he wasn't heartless. "Why did she have you call me?" he asked.

The woman sighed, seeing that he didn't know about the child. "You see, Jennifer had only one living relative Mr. Winchester," she muttered. "A four year old daughter, and you were listed as her father."

Dean's breath caught in his throat and his brow furrowed. A daughter? He had a daughter? Surely that couldn't be right. He always used protection, but then again, there was always the chance of something going wrong. "I'm a father?" he mumbled, looking at her in disbelief.

"That's what it's looking like," Mrs. Davis nodded. "We can get a court ordered paternity test if you'd like. Jennifer made it clear in her living will though that if anything was to happen to her, Skylar was to go to you."

"Skylar...that's her name?" he asked dumbly. "Yes Mr. Winchester," she replied. "Would you like the paternity test?" "Uhm, can I...can I see her?" he muttered, ignoring her question. He'd know by looking at her if she was his.

"Yes of course," she nodded. "She's in with one of our ladies from social services now. I had her brought up since you'd be here today," she nodded, leading him out to the hall. "Should you decide not to care for the girl, she goes to the state."

"So she'd be with strangers...go to a foster home or something," he gathered as he followed her.

"Sadly yes," she nodded. "That's the way the system works."

He was quiet after that. If Skylar was his kid, he couldn't abandon her. Then again, he wasn't exactly in a position to raise a child and he'd be damned if he raised her the way he and Sam had been.

She led him over to another office where there was a young woman knelt down talking to a little girl with light brown hair and the greenest eyes Dean had ever seen besides his own.

"Skylar," Tiffany said and the little girl whipped her head around, sending her hair flying. "I have someone who wants to meet you. This is Mr. Winchester." Dean walked into the office and crouched down next to the girl in wonder. "Hi...my name's Dean," he mumbled.

"I'm Skylar," she smiled, looking him over a moment. "Your eyes are a pitty gween, just like mine! Momma says people wit gween eyes are special."

He smiled a little as he got a better look at the girl. There was no denying it; she was his kid. Sure she looked like Jen, but Skylar had 'Dean' written all over her. "Thanks...yours are nice too...and you're right...they are special."

She gave him a wide smile and Dean felt lightheaded. Monsters and demons he could handle, but this little girl was making his hands shake. "Did you come to play wit me too?" she questioned.

"Maybe in a little bit," he mumbled. "I've gotta go talk to Mrs. Davis, but I'll be back."

"Okay," she beamed, happy with the possibility of another new playmate.

Dean got to his feet and walked back out into the hall before he and Tiffany went back to her office. "Skylar's my daughter," he sighed as he sat down. "I don't need a paternity test..."

"I didn't think once you saw her you would," she chuckled. "I know this is a lot to take in. If you need some time to think it over, she can go into the foster system for the time being."

"I just...I'm not sure if my life is equipped to handle a kid," he mumbled. "I don't want her to go into foster care though...Let me just talk to my brother."

"Take your time," she nodded. "She'll be here all day and so will I. You go see people if you need to, or make some phone calls."

"Thanks...I'll be in touch," he nodded before he got to his feet and went to the impala where Sam had been waiting. "So what's going on exactly?" Sam asked.

"Damn it Sam," he sighed, kicking the tire of the car parked next to him. "Jen's dead, and apparently I'm a dad."

His brother coughed on the coffee he had taken a sip of. "What?" he questioned, "Dean, what are you talking about?"

"Jen and I kinda had a one night stand when we were here, and well..." he sighed. "Apparently Trojan sucks."

Sam let out a breath and ran a hand down his face. "So you've got a kid...and Jen's dead...so I'm guessing you were called because she left the kid to you," he said.

Dean nodded, leaning on the hood of his impala with his arms crossed. "What the hell am I supposed to do Sammy?"

"Well...the way I see it is that you have two options," he sighed. "Either you give them up to foster care or you give up hunting and raise a kid."

"I've tried walking away Sam," he mumbled. "You've seen how well that's worked for us every time."

"Well then you know what you've gotta do Dean," he sighed.

"I can't and you know it," he muttered. "If Jen had told me about her sooner, you know I would have tried then too. I guess I'm trying to get out... again."

"So...what now then? Find a place to settle down?" he asked. "Try to have an apple pie life. Guess I could go back to school."

The older hunter smirked at that. "That wouldn't be so bad. You could still get that degree after all, still be a lawyer..."

"Talk about a change of pace...though I guess in a way it's similar to what we do- taking down monsters...saving people," he chuckled.

"Yeah, you'd just be dealing with a whole new breed of monster," he chuckled. "Are we really gonna do this? I mean, I can get a place close to wherever you go to school, we can make it work."

"I could see if I could get back into Stanford...it's a good place to raise kids...or we could go back to Lawrence," Sam mumbled.

"I think I like the first idea better, there isn't much in this world that could lead me back to Lawrence," Dean sighed. "I wonder what Dad would say..."

"Probably something along the lines of 'way to keep it in your pants son,'" he laughed. "So...we're doing this...we're gonna raise a kid."

"I guess that's what it looks like," Dean grinned. "You know, you don't have to help Sam, this wasn't your mistake."

"You're not gonna get anywhere without me," he smirked. "So...what's her name?"

"Her name is Skylar," Dean breathed, a smile coming to his lips. "Come back inside with me, you can see her."

"You sure?" he asked. "Yeah...she's gotta meet her Uncle Sammy," Dean smirked.

"God, I wonder how she's gonna deal with learning I'm her Dad..." he wondered aloud. "I feel sick."

"Well get sick out here because the last thing you need is her getting sick too," Sam replied.

"I uhhh... I got this," Dean decided after a moment once he knew he was okay. "Now or never Sammy."

"Then time to go be a father, Dean," he nodded, patting his shoulder before they walked into the building.